Maryland Man Sentenced To 12 Months In Prison For Stealing Works Of Art And Selling Them In Southern New Jersey

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Rock Hall, Maryland, man was sentenced today to 12 months in prison for stealing at least 40 pieces of art and bringing them to New Jersey to sell them, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.

William C. Reed III, 42, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Robert B. Kugler to an information charging him with one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. Judge Kugler imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
 
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Starting in June 2013, Reed worked as a caretaker for an individual in Rock Hall. Reed’s client was an art collector and dealer, who collected and maintained an eclectic collection of fine art by American and European artists. The collection included paintings, sculptures and etchings.

Between June 2014 and November 2014, Reed took various works of art from his client’s Rock Hall property without his permission and sold the art at various locations, including a pawn shop in Salem, New Jersey, and to an individual in Chestertown, Maryland.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Reed to three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution of $92,240.

Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of the FBI’s Art Crime Team, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Michael Harpster in Philadelphia, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. He also thanked the Rock Hall Police Department, under the direction of Chief Steven W. Moore, for its assistance in this case.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason M. Richardson of the U.S. Attorney's Office Criminal Division in Camden.

Defense counsel:  Lisa Lewis Esq., Camden